I’d have to say every restaurant looks forward to Mother’s Day as the busiest day of the year. However this year, was different. I saw some postings on Facebook, of servers complaining that they had to work, and didn’t make as much money as was anticipated. Neither did we. Of course it didn’t help that it was a picture perfect day outside, one of the best so far this spring.
The day started out busy, with those wanting to catch a brunch and quaff down Mimosa’s and Bloody Mary’s. I find it interesting that as soon as the brunch crowd slows down, so does the drinking. By mid-afternoon, we were totally in the doldrums. I went for 45 minutes at a stretch without pouring a single drink. I polished bottles that didn't need it, scrubbed sinks, did a few laps around the restaurant. The staff was gathered in some clusters here and there, talking, waiting to get busy again. It never really happened. There were no walk-ins, and not all the reservations showed up. It was jut too nice outside. I don’t blame them, had I not been working, I believe I would’ve have parked myself on the deck and enjoyed the day.
A few servers were cut from the floor and got to leave much earlier than they had anticipated. The rest of us milled about waiting for the 5:00 reservations to show up. We gathered in various places around the restaurant in groups of 4 or 5, talked a little (a lot of the conversation was about what we would be doing if we weren’t there) moved around, regrouped…..got a head start on our clean up…..regrouped yet again…..doing whatever we could to pass the time…and then it dawned on me…this day could’ve been a lot worse. But, we all genuinely like each other, the conversation is as varied as the personalities that work there….and we were all stuck there together….so we all passed the time together, and that’s a pretty cool thing. Camaraderie rocks.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
The Never Ending Shift
I just love it when I find out at 10:00 p.m. on a Friday night, that someone called off , and I have to be back at work at 10:30 Saturday morning, then that will segue right into my Saturday night bar shift, so I’ll be there from open to close.
On the plus side, someone brought in a couple boxes of donuts, (and I was out of coffee at home) so those were the first two things I grabbed upon arrival. I checked out my party sheet, only 3 items for them to choose from, so this would be pretty easy. There was 27 people in all, and some of them drank like fish, so they kept me running, but that’s okay.
There was another party scheduled for that room at 4:00, so I had to hustle to get the room re-set. As I was doing that, there was a wedding ceremony taking place in an adjacent room. I finished at 3:45, then went and sat on the deck for 15 minutes. I thought I could then go and set up the bar for the evening shift. I thought wrong. By this time, the wedding reception had begun, which was taking place in a different room from where the ceremony was, so they kept running in to get drinks. There was another banquet downstairs, they didn’t like the limited bar service down there, so a bunch of them kept running upstairs to get drinks. I had no time to restock. I gave one of the managers a list of wine and asked him to get it.
We had a ton of reservations Saturday night, I think for those who wanted to beat the Mother’s day crowds….So I had people drinking, while they were waiting for a table.
The busboys had to keep restocking the glassware….and of course the drink that is the biggest pain in the butt to make, (Sangria, we have 4 varieties) seemed to be the most popular beverage that night.
And so it went, all night long. 13 hours is a long time on your feet, running around….. but you have no time to think it about it…which is a good thing….because before you know it, it’s closing time. Whew!
On the plus side, someone brought in a couple boxes of donuts, (and I was out of coffee at home) so those were the first two things I grabbed upon arrival. I checked out my party sheet, only 3 items for them to choose from, so this would be pretty easy. There was 27 people in all, and some of them drank like fish, so they kept me running, but that’s okay.
There was another party scheduled for that room at 4:00, so I had to hustle to get the room re-set. As I was doing that, there was a wedding ceremony taking place in an adjacent room. I finished at 3:45, then went and sat on the deck for 15 minutes. I thought I could then go and set up the bar for the evening shift. I thought wrong. By this time, the wedding reception had begun, which was taking place in a different room from where the ceremony was, so they kept running in to get drinks. There was another banquet downstairs, they didn’t like the limited bar service down there, so a bunch of them kept running upstairs to get drinks. I had no time to restock. I gave one of the managers a list of wine and asked him to get it.
We had a ton of reservations Saturday night, I think for those who wanted to beat the Mother’s day crowds….So I had people drinking, while they were waiting for a table.
The busboys had to keep restocking the glassware….and of course the drink that is the biggest pain in the butt to make, (Sangria, we have 4 varieties) seemed to be the most popular beverage that night.
And so it went, all night long. 13 hours is a long time on your feet, running around….. but you have no time to think it about it…which is a good thing….because before you know it, it’s closing time. Whew!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Creative Bartending.....
There are times when people come into the bar, (not just where I work, but any bar) and order a drink that we’ve never heard of. For instance they may have been on vacation in another state….had a drink they liked….remembered the name…and thought they could get it anywhere. Bartenders are always coming up with new drinks. I made one up for the singer, (we always try and match the color of her drink to the color of her dress, stupid, but fun) she was wearing blue one night, so I mixed up a concoction that had Blue Curacao, so we jokingly called it an “Ink Martini.” If you try an order this somewhere else, no one on earth is going to know what you’re talking about!
Someone ordered a “Flirtini” last night. I only know of one other place that serves a Flirtini, and I couldn’t remember the recipe for it. I remembered what color it was, and that it was fruity tasting, and that’s about it. So I made it up. All was good, she enjoyed it.
So this morning I googled Flirtini. Every site I checked had a different recipe. So it didn’t really make any difference that I made it up, since there seems to be no standard recipe. If you look at this from a logical point of view, every restaurant has a different recipe for spaghetti sauce, or anything else on the menu, so it shouldn’t matter if the drink recipes vary a little, as long as you enjoy it.
I never could remember the recipe for a Mai Tai or a Planters Punch, or a Rum Runner, and again, if you look them up, you will get many variations, so for a few decades now, I’ve just been making them up.
If you can tell me what’s in a particular drink, and you don’t have to give me quantities, I can make it. If you give me a flavor you want, like cherry or apple or chocolate, I can make you a drink, and it’ll taste really good. Bartending is not an exact science, the only thing you have to do, is mix up something the customer will enjoy.
Someone ordered a “Flirtini” last night. I only know of one other place that serves a Flirtini, and I couldn’t remember the recipe for it. I remembered what color it was, and that it was fruity tasting, and that’s about it. So I made it up. All was good, she enjoyed it.
So this morning I googled Flirtini. Every site I checked had a different recipe. So it didn’t really make any difference that I made it up, since there seems to be no standard recipe. If you look at this from a logical point of view, every restaurant has a different recipe for spaghetti sauce, or anything else on the menu, so it shouldn’t matter if the drink recipes vary a little, as long as you enjoy it.
I never could remember the recipe for a Mai Tai or a Planters Punch, or a Rum Runner, and again, if you look them up, you will get many variations, so for a few decades now, I’ve just been making them up.
If you can tell me what’s in a particular drink, and you don’t have to give me quantities, I can make it. If you give me a flavor you want, like cherry or apple or chocolate, I can make you a drink, and it’ll taste really good. Bartending is not an exact science, the only thing you have to do, is mix up something the customer will enjoy.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
You've gotta trust your employees.....
There are times when people’s motives for doing things are not as pure as they would seem to be at first. What I saw when I first started at my current place of employment, that the boss was a real “hand’s on” owner. He would stop by all the tables, say hello, make sure everything was okay, chat with those he knew, even pick up empty plates from tables and take them back to the kitchen. That’s what I “saw.”
When I started behind the bar, I was now in close enough proximity to also listen. What I thought were pure motives, wanting to lend a hand, show us he was also a part of our team, was much different from reality.
He told us we had too many empty plates sitting around on the bar. I was a little confused, as we generally don’t allow this to happen. Then it became clear…..one night a couple were splitting an appetizer….there were a few morsels left on the plate, they told me they were just being leisurely, and would finish it up. The boss came behind the bar, reached for the plate, and they informed him they weren’t done with it yet. I noticed this was happening a lot. Time after time I would hear, “Can I take that out of your way?” “No, we’re not done with it yet.”
One night a woman he knew was sitting at the bar, waiting for a friend, she ordered some appetizers for them to split, (her friend arrived later than she had expected) so, being hungry, she ate her half of the appetizers, and wanted me to leave the rest there, for when he arrived. The boss comes back behind the bar…chats with her for a minute, then wants to remove the plates. She told him “No, Jack will be here shortly, and I’m saving those for him.” “Can I put them in a to go box for you?” Again, “No, Jack will eat them when he gets here.” “Can I get you another drink?” (thought that was my job) “No, I still have half a glass of wine left. I’m fine.” “Can I get you some more bread?” (she and I had already had this discussion) “No, I don’t need anything, I’m fine.” “Can I…..” “No, we’ve got everything under control, all is as it should be. Everything is fine.”
When he finally stopped his barrage of unnecessary questions and walked away, she looked at me and said, “I used to work in restaurants, and I’m not going to let him undermine your ability to do your job.” THANK YOU!!!!!
It’s pretty sad when the owner puts the customer on the defense, just to try and prove to himself that his employees are inept.
When I started behind the bar, I was now in close enough proximity to also listen. What I thought were pure motives, wanting to lend a hand, show us he was also a part of our team, was much different from reality.
He told us we had too many empty plates sitting around on the bar. I was a little confused, as we generally don’t allow this to happen. Then it became clear…..one night a couple were splitting an appetizer….there were a few morsels left on the plate, they told me they were just being leisurely, and would finish it up. The boss came behind the bar, reached for the plate, and they informed him they weren’t done with it yet. I noticed this was happening a lot. Time after time I would hear, “Can I take that out of your way?” “No, we’re not done with it yet.”
One night a woman he knew was sitting at the bar, waiting for a friend, she ordered some appetizers for them to split, (her friend arrived later than she had expected) so, being hungry, she ate her half of the appetizers, and wanted me to leave the rest there, for when he arrived. The boss comes back behind the bar…chats with her for a minute, then wants to remove the plates. She told him “No, Jack will be here shortly, and I’m saving those for him.” “Can I put them in a to go box for you?” Again, “No, Jack will eat them when he gets here.” “Can I get you another drink?” (thought that was my job) “No, I still have half a glass of wine left. I’m fine.” “Can I get you some more bread?” (she and I had already had this discussion) “No, I don’t need anything, I’m fine.” “Can I…..” “No, we’ve got everything under control, all is as it should be. Everything is fine.”
When he finally stopped his barrage of unnecessary questions and walked away, she looked at me and said, “I used to work in restaurants, and I’m not going to let him undermine your ability to do your job.” THANK YOU!!!!!
It’s pretty sad when the owner puts the customer on the defense, just to try and prove to himself that his employees are inept.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Just wondering.....
Sometimes peoples actions baffle me. For instance, why would you specifically request a table in the lounge on a Friday or Saturday night, when there is entertainment, and not pay any attention to the singer? When you called and made the reservation, you were very clear that you wanted to sit in the lounge…and then your group never shuts up. Not only do you loudly talk your way through the evening, you don’t even applaud when others do. I was going to say, don’t you think it’s a bit rude to make so much noise when others are trying to listen…but then I don’t think consideration for others ever enters your mind.
Then there’s the woman who, upon entering the restaurant and encountering the host, says that there will be four or five in her party. So the host does the logical thing and seats her at a table that will seat five. The next thing you know, she gets up and moves to a different table. One that can only seat four. So I walk over to the table and greet her, she informs me there will probably be four more coming, so I suggest she move back over to the table that can accommodate five. She refuses, then informs me that if four show up, then they will move to a larger table. Okay, this is just stupid.
I was working a baby shower one day…the person hosting the shower was one of the grandmothers. She stopped one of the other servers, who was not working this party and told them no one had been around to see if anyone wanted anything to drink. When the other server told me about this, I just so happened to be carrying a tray full of cocktails.
We both just shrugged our shoulders….”some people”…..
A short time later, she got up from her table, found yet another server, who was not working the party, pointed to the table she was sitting at, and again stated that no one had been over there to take a drink order. I’m not sure how or why, (other than the fact that her power of observation sucked) but the fact that they all had full wine glasses in front of them seemed to lost on her.
One gets the feeling that she was trying to point out the we are inept and stupid, and aren’t doing our job. I beg to differ. Especially on the inept and stupid part.
Then there’s the woman who, upon entering the restaurant and encountering the host, says that there will be four or five in her party. So the host does the logical thing and seats her at a table that will seat five. The next thing you know, she gets up and moves to a different table. One that can only seat four. So I walk over to the table and greet her, she informs me there will probably be four more coming, so I suggest she move back over to the table that can accommodate five. She refuses, then informs me that if four show up, then they will move to a larger table. Okay, this is just stupid.
I was working a baby shower one day…the person hosting the shower was one of the grandmothers. She stopped one of the other servers, who was not working this party and told them no one had been around to see if anyone wanted anything to drink. When the other server told me about this, I just so happened to be carrying a tray full of cocktails.
We both just shrugged our shoulders….”some people”…..
A short time later, she got up from her table, found yet another server, who was not working the party, pointed to the table she was sitting at, and again stated that no one had been over there to take a drink order. I’m not sure how or why, (other than the fact that her power of observation sucked) but the fact that they all had full wine glasses in front of them seemed to lost on her.
One gets the feeling that she was trying to point out the we are inept and stupid, and aren’t doing our job. I beg to differ. Especially on the inept and stupid part.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
When we run out of something......
I used to work at a restaurant whose house specialty was roast beef. It would take about 12 hours to slow cook these giant 50 to 70 pound rounds of beef. You can get a LOT of meals out of a roast that large. On any given day, no one can predict how many people will order roast beef. The only thing you can do to prepare for this, is work on averages. Occasionally we would have a day where more people than average would order roast beef, and we would run out. This didn’t happen very often, but it did happen. People would be aghast…”How can a roast beef house, run out of roast beef?!?!?”
My answer to them was always, “Better we run out, then to serve you something that’s been sitting around for a few days.” That usually puts a new spin on it. If it was burgers we ran out of, someone could run to the store, and then we could continue making burgers. But this roast beef takes 12 hours to cook!
Think back to when you were a kid…..you’re really hoping to have chicken for dinner…you get home to find out it’s meatloaf. Disappointing? Sure. But we learn to live with these disappointments. So we had two choices, eat the meatloaf, (which was the only thing on the menu for the evening) or go hungry. It’s a fact of life, you can’t always get what you want….and if you chose the drama queen route, and declared that you weren’t going to eat…go ahead, cut off your nose to spite your face (fool). And if your parents allowed this type of behavior, then shame on them.
So, unlike the home menu, which featured ONE item, when a restaurant runs out of something, there are probably 30 or 40 other items to choose from. If we’ve run out of your first choice, and this is your biggest disappointment in life, well that’s just sad. Learn to appreciate the fact that a) you don’t have to cook, you’re dining out, b) you don’t have to do any clean up, and c) someone else is serving it to you.
If you decide to continue with your little hissy fit, don’t care if you are making anyone else at your table uncomfortable, (and if you have children with you, great way to set an example) as far as I’m concerned, you can march your self-centered ass out the door and go eat dirt.
My answer to them was always, “Better we run out, then to serve you something that’s been sitting around for a few days.” That usually puts a new spin on it. If it was burgers we ran out of, someone could run to the store, and then we could continue making burgers. But this roast beef takes 12 hours to cook!
Think back to when you were a kid…..you’re really hoping to have chicken for dinner…you get home to find out it’s meatloaf. Disappointing? Sure. But we learn to live with these disappointments. So we had two choices, eat the meatloaf, (which was the only thing on the menu for the evening) or go hungry. It’s a fact of life, you can’t always get what you want….and if you chose the drama queen route, and declared that you weren’t going to eat…go ahead, cut off your nose to spite your face (fool). And if your parents allowed this type of behavior, then shame on them.
So, unlike the home menu, which featured ONE item, when a restaurant runs out of something, there are probably 30 or 40 other items to choose from. If we’ve run out of your first choice, and this is your biggest disappointment in life, well that’s just sad. Learn to appreciate the fact that a) you don’t have to cook, you’re dining out, b) you don’t have to do any clean up, and c) someone else is serving it to you.
If you decide to continue with your little hissy fit, don’t care if you are making anyone else at your table uncomfortable, (and if you have children with you, great way to set an example) as far as I’m concerned, you can march your self-centered ass out the door and go eat dirt.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Dealing with people.......
Dealing with people can be difficult at times….especially on those days when shit seems to come at you from all directions.
I got to work at 2:00 p.m. yesterday…the first person I saw said, “Welcome to hell.” Not a good sign. The next person I saw said “Welcome to hell.” Uh-oh.
There were four banquets going on, the dining room was crowded (due to a ridiculous new coupon offer) and there was not enough staff to cover it all. One server got pulled off a banquet to help in the dining room. There’s an automatic pay cut for her. She asked me to help her with a table of 7 men, who were sitting in the lounge. Their wives were at one of the showers downstairs. They were complaining about anything they could think of to complain about. Par for the course, so we power through it. HOWEVER! When you start making snide comments about my fellow server, to her face, well guys, (notice I did not use the term “gentlemen”) you’ve crossed the line, and are showing the world your lack of class.
Two other guys, sitting at the bar, same reason, wives at shower downstairs…..run up a $104.00 tab….treat themselves to expensive tequila, blah blah blah…..and leave ZERO tip, again, you’re just a couple of classless bastards.
At a table: “I’m sorry ma’am, but we’re out of ribeye steaks.” Now I’ve gotta listen to the “Life as we know it will cease to exist because I can’t have my own way” speech. Trust me, this lady was not suffering from malnutrition.
Then I find out that the boss decides to cut me from one of my weekend bartending shifts. (That’s income that cannot be replaced by any other shift) He and I and the other bartender had worked out a plan on how we would divide up the shifts. We made a deal. The man can’t seem to keep his word on anything. I’m not the first one to get stabbed in the back in this manner.
It’s now 4:00 p.m. Only four more hours to “smile” through.
For all you nice decent people who came in, I’m grateful. For all the rest of you who seem to think we should bend over and have a colonoscopy on your behalf……screw you. If the situation were reversed, you’d be throwing out the Golden Rule at everyone, and probably be appalled at the way you were treated.
I got to work at 2:00 p.m. yesterday…the first person I saw said, “Welcome to hell.” Not a good sign. The next person I saw said “Welcome to hell.” Uh-oh.
There were four banquets going on, the dining room was crowded (due to a ridiculous new coupon offer) and there was not enough staff to cover it all. One server got pulled off a banquet to help in the dining room. There’s an automatic pay cut for her. She asked me to help her with a table of 7 men, who were sitting in the lounge. Their wives were at one of the showers downstairs. They were complaining about anything they could think of to complain about. Par for the course, so we power through it. HOWEVER! When you start making snide comments about my fellow server, to her face, well guys, (notice I did not use the term “gentlemen”) you’ve crossed the line, and are showing the world your lack of class.
Two other guys, sitting at the bar, same reason, wives at shower downstairs…..run up a $104.00 tab….treat themselves to expensive tequila, blah blah blah…..and leave ZERO tip, again, you’re just a couple of classless bastards.
At a table: “I’m sorry ma’am, but we’re out of ribeye steaks.” Now I’ve gotta listen to the “Life as we know it will cease to exist because I can’t have my own way” speech. Trust me, this lady was not suffering from malnutrition.
Then I find out that the boss decides to cut me from one of my weekend bartending shifts. (That’s income that cannot be replaced by any other shift) He and I and the other bartender had worked out a plan on how we would divide up the shifts. We made a deal. The man can’t seem to keep his word on anything. I’m not the first one to get stabbed in the back in this manner.
It’s now 4:00 p.m. Only four more hours to “smile” through.
For all you nice decent people who came in, I’m grateful. For all the rest of you who seem to think we should bend over and have a colonoscopy on your behalf……screw you. If the situation were reversed, you’d be throwing out the Golden Rule at everyone, and probably be appalled at the way you were treated.
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